Automatic track switch



- 1961 c. o. SCHMIDT, JR 3,006,287

AUTOMATIC TRACK SWITCH Filed May 7, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. dzrl OscarSc/zmz'dl Jr Oct. 31, 1961 Filed May 7, 1958 c. o. SCHMIDT, JR 3,006,287

AUTOMATIC TRACK SWITCH 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OR.

dzrl OscarSahmidi' Jr:

Oct. 31, 1961 c. o. SCHMIDT, JR 3,

AUTOMATIC TRACK SWITCH 7 Filed May 7, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENT OR.

. 6' 6hr] Oscar SchmidI'JIr United States Patent 3,006,287 AUTOMATIC TRACK SWITCH Carl Oscar Schmidt, Jr., Wyoming, Ohio, assignor to The Cincinnati Butchers Supply Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed May 7, 1958, Ser. No. 733,598 2 Claims. (Cl. 104-100) This invention relates to an automatic track switch for overhead conveyors, and is adapted to direct a carriage or trolley riding upon the track.

An object of the invention is to provide a track switch which normally is thrown automatically by the passage thereover of a trolley, without human intervention, and with perfect safety of operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fully automatic track switch equipped with manual-1y operative means whereby the regular cycle of operation may be changed at will, should occasion so require.

Another object is to provide in an automatic track switch, improved structural means whereby installation is facilitated and expedited, to save labor costs in erection expense.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved automatic switch of the type referred to, which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and install, and which is adapted for long usage without maintenance expense.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the improved automatic switch installed in a track system, and shown in condition to direct a trolley or carriage from a spur track onto a main straight track, or vice versa.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing the switch in condition to direct a trolley or carriage along a main track past the spur.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of FIG. 3, as seen from right to left on FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but showing the switch disposed in the FIG. 2 position for directing a trolley or carriage along the main straight track.

In the drawings, the character 8 indicates a main straight track or rail of an overhead conveyor, upon the upper edge 10 of which may ride a trolley or carriage wheel having a grooved periphery as is common in overhead rail conveyor systems. The track usually is suspended substantially horizontally from a ceiling or elevated framework, by bracket or hanger means such as 12 which may be fixed to the track at a location 14 as by means of a weld or other fastening device.

A spur or secondary track 16 may approach the main track at an angle and at the same elevation as the main track, and this spur or track 16 may be suspended from above by means of a hanger 18 substantially as is the main track 8. The spur track has an upper edge 20 upon which a trolley or grooved carriage wheel may ride, and as shown in the drawing, the spur track has a curved end portion 22 whose terminus 24 falls short of reaching the side face of the main track 8.

Near the terminal end 24 of the spur track is located a pivot or hinge 26 upon which may be swingingly mounted a carrier bar or plate 28 to which is welded or otherwise fixed a curved switch point 30, so that by swinging the bar or plate 28 about its pivot 26, the switch point may be disposed in alternate operative and inoperative positions. FIG. 2 shows the switch point 30 in the elevated inoperative position at which it breaks continuity of the spur to the main track, whereas FIG. 1 shows it 3,006,287 Patented Oct. 31, 1961 ICC lowered to the operative position at which the spur is connected to the main track for directing a trolley onto the latter.

A second switch point 32, which may be substantially straight when used in a track system such as the drawings illustrate, has a rear end 34 and a free end 36, the rear end being welded or otherwise fixed to a carrier bar or plate 38 pivoted at 40 upon the main track, so that by swing'ng of the carrier bar or plate about its pivotal mounting 40, the switch point 32 may be disposed in either the lowered operative position of FIG. 2, or the elevated inoperative position of FIG. 1. When in the operative position of FIG. 2, the main switch point 32 provides a continuous track over which a trolley may travel in traversing the length of main track 8, as is evident.

Means are provided ot connect the switch points 30 and 32 in such manner that the elevating of one switch point to inoperative position induces lowering of the other switch point to the operative position. This may be acomplished in any suitable manner as by providing, for example, a rocker element 42 (FIG. 5) pivoted at 44 upon a bridge or stationary strut 46, and having its opposite ends 48 and 50 connected to the pivoted carrier bars 28 and 38 of the switch points by means of connecting rods 52 and 54, respectively. Thus, when the switch point 30 of FIG. 6 is lowered about its pivot 26 to the FIG. 5 position, it acts through the bar 28 and connecting rod 52 to rock the element 42 in counter-clockwise direction, for lowering the other connecting rod 54 and thereby actuating the pivoted carrier plate 38 of switch point 32, to elevate the point 32 to the inoperative position. Conversely, a lowering of swich point 32 (FIG. 1) to the operative position of FIG. 2, enforces an elevating of the spur switch point 30 to the inoperative position at which the spur track is disconnected from the main track 8. In other words, the linkage including the rocket element 42 and the connecting rods 52 and 54, enforces alternation of the switch point movements to operative positions with respect to the tracks or rails 8 and 16.

The bridge or strut 46 may be in the form of a rigid plate having opposite ends welded to the hangers 12 and 18 above the level of the tracks, for rigidly supporting the tracks in suspension from a ceiling or overhead framework. Welds for the purpose are shown at 56 in FIG. 5 and 6.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that a. trolley or carriage wheel rolling along the main track 8 of FIG. 1, from the rear forwardly, will strike the elevated switch point 32 and move the latter about its pivot 40 to the lowered horizontal position upon track 8, thereby providing for continuous uninterrupted advancement of the trolley forwardly along the main track past the switch mechanism. Concurrently with such lowering of switch point 32, the other switch point 30 will be elevated to the inoperative position of FIG. 2, by the action of the linkage which includes the rocker element 42 and the connecting rods 52 and 54 pivoted thereto at 58 and 60.

Referring to FIG. 2, should a trolley or carriage wheel advance along the spur 16 from left to right, it will strike and lower the switch point 30 to operative position (FIG. 1), at which the switch point bridges over to the main track 8 for directing the trolley onto the main track. At the same time, the other switch point 32 automatically will be elevated to the inoperative position of FIG. 1, by the action of the linkage above mentioned.

From the foregoing explanation, it will be understood that any trolleys moving in alternation forwardly along the tracks 8 or 16 toward the switch unit, will each automatically throw the switch points for completing the track sections upon which any given trolley may be moving, so that without human intervention, a succession of trolleys advancing in alternation along the tracks 8 and 16 will take their respective turns in entering upon the forward section 62 of the main track.

Upon occasion, it may be considered desirable to reverse the direction of trolley movement, that is, from 62 rearwardly, and use the switch for distributing successive trolleys onto the spur and onto the rear section of main track 8. In that event the attendant should have manual control of the switch unit. This may be provided for by supplying the linkage of the switch points with a depending rod or manual actuator member 64 having connection at 66 with an auxiliary arm 68 of the linkage, whereby upon manual raising or lowering of rod 64, the linkage may be rocked in either direction about pivot 44, to bring either switch point to the operative lowered position while at the same time moving the other switch point to inoperative position. The connection of rod 64 to the linkage may be applied directly to one of the parts 28, 38, or 42, although as shown in the drawings, such connection is made at 66 to a separate arm 68 which moves with the carrier bar 28 by reason of a fixed connection therewith at 70, FIG. 1.

In order to provide substantial support for the main switch point 32 when lowered onto the track 8, the track may be notched at 72 (FIG. 2) to accommodate the length of the switch point and provide a seat therefor which is solid and rigid. The same notch 72, or a portion thereof, can accommodate alternatively the free end portion 74 (FIG. 1) of the curved switch point 30, to provide the necessary support therefor. Support for the opposite end 76 of switch point 30 may be provided by the terminal end 24 of the spur track, by notching it at 78 to provide a shoulder upon which the pivot end of the switch point may rest when lowered to operative position.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes may be made. in structural details of the device, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic track switch for directing trolleys of an overhead conveyor, comprising in combination, a main track section and a spur track section spaced therefrom and disposed angularly to the main track section, a main switch point, means pivoting said main switch point to the main track section about an axis parallel to the horizontal and in position to be struck by a trolley and moved thereby in a vertical plane to an operative position in parallelism with said main track section from an initial inoperative position directly above and at an inclination thereto, a spur switch point, means pivoting said spur switch point to the spur track section about an axis parallel to the horizontal, said spur switch point having a free end to span the space between the track sections, the spur switch point being pivoted to the spur track section in such manner that in inoperative position the spur switch point is positioned directly above and at an inclination to the spur track section so as to be struck by an advancing trolley and moved thereby in a vertical plane about its pivot to an operative position coplanar with the track sections, said switch points and track sections being of substantially equal widths thereby providing a trackway of substantially uniform width throughout, hanger means fixed to the track sections for suspending the latter from an overhead support, a bride on the hanger means, a rocker element having opposite ends and an intermediate portion, means pivoting said intermediate portion of the rocker element upon the bridge for movement of the rocker element substantially parallel to said bridge, and a connecting rod depending from each end of the rocker element, said connecting rods having lower ends, each pivoted to a switch point for moving the switch points in opposite manners in correspondency with movements of the rocker element, the rocker element and connecting rod arrangement being such that when one switch point is in operative position, the other switch point has its pivoted end portion disposed directly over its associated track section and said other switch point is steeply inclined with respect to its associated track section so as to serve as an abutment against which a trolley is adapted to bear.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein is. included a manual actuator in the form of a rod depending from one of the switch points for manual moving of said one switch point about its pivot, accompanied by reverse movement of the other switch point through the agency of the rocker element and its associated connecting rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 695,277 Clark Mar. 11, 1902 1,072,409 Wright et a1. Sept. 2, 1913 2,725,017 Bedford et al Nov. 29, 1955 2,746,397 Le Fiell May 22, 1956 g FOREIGN PATENTS 709,084 Great Britain May 12, 1954 50,000 Netherlands Mar. 15, 1941 

